Shrimp Louie & Vouvray

DINNER
We love “Louie” salads, but didn’t really know what they were. We discovered Louie dressings in several old cookbooks, but no reference to a Louie salad. After some research, it seems nobody actually knows for sure the origins of the Louie (Louis) salad, other than it probably began on the U.S. west coast (Seattle or San Francisco) early in the 1900s and was originally made with crab.
Our Louie salads are usually a mish-mash of everything possible. Last night we used sautéed shrimp in olive oil and spices, tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, mixed greens, pickled asparagus, artichoke hearts, red pepper, green onions, croutons, home-made green tomatoes in brine, pickled garlic, radish, left-over sautéed potatoes and mushrooms, and thousand island dressing. We’ve also used salmon or crab instead of shrimp, as well as red or yellow onions, fresh mushrooms, black or green olives, sliced carrots, fresh herbs, broccoli, avocado, and other vegetables.

WINE
We had a B&G Vouvray (previously reviewed) which went perfectly with the salad. Sometimes wines are hard to pair with salad, but we’ve found that whites or roses that have the very slightest tinge of softness (sweetness) are the best. Wines that are too dry (Sauvignon Blanc) or too hearty (Chardonnays, especially from California) just don’t work that well. Try a Chenin Blanc, any decent rose (as long as it’s not bone dry), or a Gewurztraminer.